Article 61877 of alt.solar.photovoltaic: Path: news.misty.com!not-for-mail From: nicksanspam@ece.villanova.edu Newsgroups: misc.consumers.frugal-living,alt.solar.thermal,alt.solar.photovoltaic Subject: Re: Frugal solar panels? Date: 19 Jun 2008 08:15:51 -0400 Organization: Villanova University Lines: 24 Message-ID: References: <62b63bf7-6e2b-4e5b-a28b-81ed51a224d3@l64g2000hse.googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: acadia.ece.villanova.edu X-Trace: max.inside.misty.com 1213874069 10323 153.104.44.130 (19 Jun 2008 11:14:29 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@misty.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:14:29 +0000 (UTC) Xref: news.misty.com misc.consumers.frugal-living:731746 alt.solar.thermal:30715 alt.solar.photovoltaic:61877 wrote: >Every year I get excited about installing solar panels. I then do my >research online and quickly get discouraged by the high price tags >and mediocre performance... PVs are hideously expensive compared to solar heat from a sunspace, which can cost 100 times less per peak watt and provide useful floorspace. Most US houses need several times more heat energy than electrical energy. With a $50 used car radiator and its 20 watt fans, a sunspace can also store 140 F water in a large unpressurized tank containing a $60 1"x300' 13-gallon pressurized plastic pipe coil to make hot water for showers. The same radiator can heat the house with tank water on cloudy days. Amorphous silicon solar electricity should get cheaper in a year or so, with companies like XsunX coming on line with a manufacturing cost close to $1.50 per peak watt for panels which produce more electricity than other kinds in dim sun and high temperatures. XsunX stock seems interesting at 42 cents/share, with a $21 million venture capital commitment, which isn't easy to get these days. Unisolar's similar product has a long waiting list. Nick